[ SPECIAL CHAPTER ]
After Asher gave Alina a white rose as a gift, he vanished into thin air. This amazed everyone within the banquet hall, which made Diellzain roll his eyes. Aelius laughed at his younger brother's reaction.
"You really hate the Astra, huh, Zain?" Aelius asked. Diellzain sighed.
"It's not like I hate him. He's just naturally annoying." His older brother chuckled again. Helios and Orpheus listened to their conversation as Chantelle announced their turns for the gifts.
"Of course, the first one to give his gift is the Third Prince, Prince Diellzain Ray de Ciera! My beloved nephew, please come on stage~" Diellzain prevented himself from sighing as he raised his hand in front of him. One tiny box floated above his palm, and Alina's face lit up as she saw her third brother walking towards her.
"Hmm~ I wonder what Brother Dae will give me~" Alina swayed her body happily as she sing-songed her words. Diellzain chuckled.
"Happy birthday, Ali. Since you love the Callisto Garden so much, I made you a garden." Alina tilted her head and blinked a couple of times, and when she realized what she just heard, her eyes widened.
"Brother...'made' me a garden?" she asked, emphasizing a certain word. Diellzain smiled at her, looking proud.
"Of course. And it's a garden similar to Mom's. I made sure to put lots of odilia flowers too, because I noticed how much you love them. And there's no need to worry about it wilting..." Diellzain leaned forward to Alina for a whisper.
"I stole some holy garden soil to make sure it won't wither." Alina gasped as she placed her palms on her cheeks. She looked like she was sparkling with that huge and bright smile.
'Are you for real? Brother Dae just does whatever he wants...he stole? Stop yourself from tearing up, Ali,' Ali thought, maintaining her joyful act despite overthinking what her brother did.
"C-cute..."
"The Princess is really adorable, isn't she?"
"You took the words out of my mouth."
"R-really? Then I have my own garden now?" Alina's excitement was all over her face. Her beautiful eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at her big brother happily. Diellzain watched her as he walked towards her.
"That's right, my dear sister." Diellzain bent his body slightly as he handed the tiny box with the expensive cover. He made sure the cover was eye-catching to emphasize its importance.
"Yaaay! Thank you very much, Brother Dae!" Alina jumped off her seat and wrapped her arms around her brother, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Diellzain chuckled and gave her a peck on the forehead as well.
"Aww, so sweet~ I want a kiss from Dae and Ali as well!" Chantelle spoke. Diellzain secretly glared at his aunt.
"Please refrain from calling me that, Aunt Chan. Only Ali can call me that," Diellzain said in a voice just low enough for Chantelle to hear. She chuckled and distanced the microphone from her lips.
"Does that mean Lea can't as well?" Diellzain rolled his eyes.
"Lea can," Chantelle laughed.
'How cute~' she thought.
"Alright, for the second gift, coming from our Second Prince, Prince Aelius Luke de Ciera!" Aelius materialized his gift on his hand. It was wrapped in golden aluminum foil with white and red ribbon.
The foil, being made of real gold—not just in color.
"Here's your gift from Brother Aeli, Ali. I won't tell you what it is for now, because I want to surprise you with it. Make sure to tell me after you've opened it." Alina nodded her head and accepted the gift from Aelius. Its size was just right for her to hold with both hands. She hugged it and the glass bell jar from Asher.
"Thank you so much, Brother Aeli!" Alina gave Aelius a peck on the cheek, and everyone in the crowd cheered at the cuteness of their Princess.
"Next, before we call our dear Emperor, let's have the First Prince! Helios Rishi de Ciera!" Everyone clapped as the First Prince walked toward the Princess. Alina smiled widely as she faced her eldest brother.
"You look extremely happy, Ali." Alina nodded repeatedly, giggling with excitement.
"Seeing my little sister get excited for my present..." Helios smiled without finishing his sentence. Alina tilted her head.
'His smiles have become more genuine now...' Alina chuckled, placing the previous presents on the single couch behind her before stretching her arms toward Helios.
"Happy birthday, Ali. My present is also a secret for now. That way, you can look forward to it even more." Helios folded his fingers, leaving only his index finger. He pressed it to his lips and smiled softly at Alina, causing her to feel butterflies in her stomach.
My brothers are so pretty...
Alina accepted the gift from her brother and wrapped her arms around Helios before giving him a kiss on the cheek. The prince did the same, and they both chuckled.
"They're all really close..."
"A sight to behold!"
"It's so adorable!"
"Yes, yes. The interaction of the Princess and her brothers is indeed heartwarming! However!" Chantelle paused and smiled widely at the guests.
"We are not done yet, as the Emperor makes his entrance! Emperor Orpheus Raven de Ciera, do you think your gift will move everyone's heart?" Chantelle asked. Orpheus smirked as he stood up from his throne and walked toward Alina while Helios returned to his seat.
"Of course. Because my gift is none other than..." Alina tilted her head and looked at her father with a huge smile. Orpheus knelt in front of her, placing his hand on top of her head.
"The Antares Palace." Everyone gasped. Even Alina was surprised—her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped.
"T-The Antares Palace?" Alina asked, blinking a few times.
Huh? But I'm already living in the Alphard Palace, where the Princesses live...why is he giving me the Antares Palace? Alina thought, confused about her father's gift. Meanwhile, her brothers smiled proudly, as if they already knew.
"That's why I placed your garden there," Diellzain said smugly, crossing his arms and legs while closing his eyes—his favorite pose of all time.
"Eh...? B-but, Dad, aren't I living in the Alphard Palace now?" Alina asked. Orpheus smiled at her.
"The Alphard Palace belongs to all the Princesses—past, present, and future. However, the Antares Palace, my gift to you, only belongs to you, my dear Princess. It's your property now." Alina pressed her lips together, trying not to tear up.
'The place where I lived for five years...the place where Mom gave birth to me...the place that's always warm even in winter...right. That's right. I wanna go back there. Mom's pictures are probably still hanging...I wanna see them again.' Alina giggled, throwing herself into her father's arms.
"Thank you very much, Daddy. You really really know me well..." she whispered in his ear. The Emperor closed his eyes and embraced his daughter back.
"Of course. You're my daughter, after all."
Alina giggled.
'It's been two years since they sealed off Antares Palace. But it turns out Dad had plans for it' Alina kissed her father's cheek and didn't let go, hinting that she wanted to be carried. Orpheus placed his right hand on her back and wrapped his arm under her thighs as he stood up.
"Now that we're done with the gifts, a dance performance from the Ciera Talents will take the spotlight, and everyone is welcome to join and show off your talents. Everyone, enjoy!" Orpheus said, waving to the crowd. The guests clapped and called out their greetings to the Princess.
Alina watched them and couldn't help but smile.
'What a warm feeling...'
***
"What are you doing here?" I turned my head to the balustrade where Asher suddenly appeared, standing. He stared at me and then bent his knees, placing both arms between his legs—why are you posing like Spid*rman?
"Are you alright? You look exhausted," he said, poking my forehead. Thanks to that, I felt a lot better. I was supposed to be thinking about how happy I was about this birthday, but I suddenly remembered the guy I saw earlier.
"Hey, Asher. Is there any other Ciera currently besides my family and Uncle Ran's?" I asked. Uncle Ran and his family are the only other Ciera I know...so who was that? Sure, his eyes weren't red, but his hair was black.
Oh, come to think of it...for two years I really haven't met Uncle Ran's family. Maybe that was his son? But he would've introduced himself if he was...
Wait. That got me thinking—why has Uncle Ran's family never visited the Central Empire? They weren't even there when I was first introduced as a Princess.
"Hmm, I don't think so," Asher answered. He was now sitting on the balustrade, his palms leaning on it to support himself.
"Why?" he asked. Should I tell him about that guy? This is the first time I've seen that person, after all...
"Then, are there any other people here that have black hair besides the Cieras?" I leaned my cheek on my palm as I turned to him. He stared at me with a confused expression.
"No. Black hair is a distinct trait of the Ciera. Why are you asking me these questions?" Right, there's no way...maybe I was just seeing things? It could be that his hair wasn't black, but because he was at the back, the shadow made it look that way?
"Hmm...nothing," I answered and closed my eyes.
"Princess...oh, the Astra is here too." I turned around when I heard a voice—and there I saw Ziel, walking toward me so handsomely. How beautiful! Are you sure you're only 11?!
"Hi, Ziel! Where have you been? I tried looking for you earlier," I said. He smiled at me and placed a hand on his chest before bowing.
"Greetings to the First Princess, and once again, Happy Birthday." Aww, he's so cute.
"Thanks! I'm glad Ziel could come—"
"Aren't you going to greet me? How insolent," I looked at Asher beside me. He was raising his brow at Ziel. His arrogance really never changes.
"Apologies, oh well...hi to the Astra." I covered my mouth and suppressed a laugh. He's smiling, but his tone says he's annoyed! Hahaha!
"This brat...!" Asher grit his teeth and forced a smile.
"Hah~ doesn't matter. I don't want my mood to be ruined today. I'll leave you two then." And just like that, Asher disappeared.
"It looks like the Astra has become more bearable today." Yup, that's right. I hope he drops that attitude for good, but it seems like Asher won't be Asher without that annoying personality.
"Right? But let's not talk about him. How are you, Ziel? I'm glad you could come!" I said cheerfully. Ziel had been gone for two years, and we were only sending letters ever since. I even noticed how our penmanship changed over time.
"I'm doing alright, Princess. Good thing our captain was also invited to your birthday party. When I asked him for permission, he said we could go back to the Central Empire together." Nice! Whoever this captain is, I thank you with all my heart!
"Wow~ your captain is so nice!" I replied. He chuckled and nodded.
"Indeed, Princess. He always takes care of me, since I'm the youngest knight there. He was also the one who trained the Third Prince."
Whoa—for real?! You're being trained by the guy that created that monster?! I hope he won't create another one...
"Wooow~ that means you're going to be super strong in the future too!" I said. Brother Dae is strong and amazing, after all. He was one of the MVPs during the war against the Black Magician's subordinates.
Come to think of it...I still haven't asked Asher about his lies regarding the Black Magician...
Well, I can always ask him later. For now, let's focus on Ziel.
"I'll become stronger for the Princess." I tilted my head, still smiling. Is he referring to the Second Princess, or me? Well, he hasn't met the second princess yet, so of course it's me, right?
My son is so sweet~
"That puts my mind at ease!" I don't know what else to say, but having my family, Asher, and Ziel to protect me will definitely keep me safe.
"Please look forward to the third event of your birthday, Princess." Third event? The knight search event? Wait—is he participating in that?! Is he already an official knight?
Isn't...this guy only 11? Wait...is that even allowed?!
"Are you going to join it? Uhh...you're only 11, right?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. Are you for real? Wow...really, everything is possible when you're in a fictional world, huh?
Ah, but I think this isn't fictional anymore. This is my reality now. I can't help but smile.
This guy in front of me, who was only a side character in a novel I used to read, is talking to me. The father and brothers that were supposed to hate me love me dearly. Everything in this world might be the same as that novel, but the differences are huge.
I can't wait to meet my big sister.
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to it then."
***